Mortal Engines and National Industry

1. Mortal Engines and Neo-Colonialism

Any resemblance to reality is mere coincidence, or so it seems with "Mortal Engines", a book by the British writer Philip Reeve, adapted for the screen in 2018 by director Peter Jackson in the film known in Spanish as "Máquinas Mortales" , an allegory of industrialism, English colonialism (embodied in the City of London) and its warlike ambition, on which it builds the pillars of its greatness, and which, paradoxically, "perfidious Albion" now seeks to revive with the recently announced increase in its military budget .(1)

Today the United Kingdom, and Europe in general, find themselves at a crossroads: they are not competitive in agriculture or industry, they are falling behind technologically for lack of innovation, their populations are aging rapidly, they have few energy resources, and they may lose much of their access to the North American market because of Donald Trump's tariff war. Returning to their colonialist and bellicose roots, with the Russian threat as an excuse, seems to be the only option that leaders such as Starmer, Macron or Von der Leyen can find. (2)

2. New Technologies and Their Strange Fascination

In Mortal Engines, the resources and old machines of the conquered cities are absorbed and discarded to feed London, the "traction city", while at the same time eliminating competition, and the inhabitants of these conquered cities are co-opted by the supposed benefits of being part of the great city.

3. Technological and Industrial Independence

In the film, the recovery of ancient knowledge and machines becomes the task of archaeologists and the subject matter of London's Museum of Natural History. Today, as the much-touted global value chains, emblems of globalization in which Argentina has participated very little, are fading away, we are left with the option of pursuing technological independence. This can be achieved not only by manufacturing chips; progress can also be made at intermediate levels, starting by not losing our country's industrial tradition, which sets it apart from other developing countries.

The retrofitting and optimization of equipment and its local manufacture can, in many cases, meet industrial needs and avoid dependence on new technologies whose holders increasingly block access to them under the pretext of national security.

4. The Necessary Competitive Readaptation

In a scenario where military considerations are increasingly emphasized, and with the United Kingdom, which illegitimately occupies part of Argentine territory, in the midst of a rearmament process, it is necessary to rethink the competitive readaptation of our industries and the training of our people so as to achieve economic, technological and productive independence.

References:

(1) - "UK announces biggest increase in defense spending since the end of the Cold War". Feb. 25, 2025 - British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said that the decision to raise UK defense spending to 2.5% of gross domestic product by 2027 aims to prioritize the country's security in the face of the reality of a "dangerous new era".

(2) - " The EU's REARMAMENT: EUROPE's GRAND PLAN to confront the RUSSIAN THREAT | RTVE Noticias" 23-3-2025